smells i see
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    • Confluence Exhibition New Works (2022) >
      • identity theft: erasure (2022)
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      • identity theft: rice bearers (2022)
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      • identity theft: erasure (2018)
      • identity theft: i.d. bracelets-no i.d.
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      • identity theft: johnson
      • identity theft: scars
      • identity theft: rice bearers (2021)
      • identity theft: unlocked
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      • identity theft: erasure
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      • america take a knee 4 me
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      • gaza math
      • Sleepless in Rwanda
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      • identity theft: erasure
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identity theft: erasure

Picture
identity theft: erasure (closed) 2022
In 2022  the  outside panels  were covered with collaged street posters to add texture and additional meaning to the work.   Ancestors of enslaved Africans have had their identities covered for centuries and many of the identifiers (name, language, specific place of origin) of their African ancestry and culture have been covered and/or erased. Original erasers from 2018 have been replaced with vintage erasers.
Picture
identity theft: erasure (closed) 2018
H 60" x W 108" x D 7"
Materials: aluminum frame from 10 ft. satellite dish, aluminum mesh, steel plate, masonite, chalkboard paint, acrylic ink, chalk, vintage felt erasers, metal hinges, bolts, screws, velcro, collaged street posters (street posters cover West African Identifiers (West African names, languages, countries and territories - see work and video below from Otis College of Art and Design Residency 2018) 
(2018-2022)
Picture
identity theft: erasure (open)

Above: The doors of no return are opened to reveal the erasure of captured African's primary identifiers.
The far left panel has English names assigned to captured Africans (taken 
from slave ship registers). The inside left panel has possible West African names of captured Africans, erased. The far right panel has names of countries and colonies where enslaved Africans were transported. The inside right panel has West African languages,  countries and territories erased.

H 60" x W 192" x D 30"
Materials: aluminum frame from 10 ft. satellite dish, aluminum mesh, steel plate, masonite, chalkboard paint, acrylic ink, chalk, felt erasers, metal hinges, bolts, screws, velcro

Picture
identity theft: erasure (left side open)
Detail: Left Panel: Slave names / Right Panel: West African names erased
Picture
identity theft: erasure (right side open)

Detail: Left panel: African languages and places erased / Right panel: Countries and colonies to which enslaved Africans were transported

© F. Geoffrey Johnson, 2011-2022. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, copying, distribution or recording of images, information or writings on this website without the express written permission of F. Geoffrey Johnson is prohibited. If copyrighted material on this website is found to be infringed upon, we will prosecute to the full extent of the law.
  • Home
  • Bio / CV
    • F. Geoffrey Johnson's Artist CV
    • F. Geoffrey Johnson's CV Addendum
    • Poetry Bio
    • Fine Art Bio
    • Artist Statement
  • Art Gallery
    • Confluence Exhibition New Works (2022) >
      • identity theft: erasure (2022)
      • identity theft: i.d. bracelets-no i.d.
      • mend
      • writing about trees is difficult
      • gone fishin'
      • identity theft: rice bearers (2022)
      • blanket statement
    • series: identity theft (2017-2022) >
      • identity theft: erasure (2018)
      • identity theft: i.d. bracelets-no i.d.
      • identity theft: washington
      • identity theft: jefferson
      • identity theft: johnson
      • identity theft: scars
      • identity theft: rice bearers (2021)
      • identity theft: unlocked
    • series: environment: capped >
      • seabird nest
      • wild bird food: special mix
      • disappearing B's
      • bottlenose dolphin
    • series: confined (2017-2022) >
      • confined: NOW
      • confined: requiem for katrina
      • confined: c miners
      • confined: history re-mixed
      • confined: tears
    • Otis College Residency: 2018 >
      • identity theft: erasure
      • black +
      • seabird nest
      • orange is new black
      • taglines
    • Repurposed Objects: 2013-2019 >
      • america take a knee 4 me
      • stick a fork in it, it's done!
      • chain master
      • planting seeds
      • crippling crutches
      • Lotus: Out of Focus
      • Furious Flowers: Birmingham '63
    • Re-purposed Objects: 2010-2012 >
      • Sleepless in Rwanda
      • Screwed
      • Nigeria: Soiled, Soaked & Silent
      • currents (diptych)
      • Tobacco Road
      • Sole Soldier
      • Domino Effect / Foreign Policy
      • Mapping: Between the Lines-Redlining-Bluelining
    • Visual Poetry >
      • windows
      • Furious Flowers: Birmingham '63
      • stick a fork in it, it's done!
      • confined: history re-mixed: an uncivil guide
      • crippling crutches
      • gaza math
      • Sleepless in Rwanda
    • Gallery: Abstract Paintings >
      • Elements
      • Giants of Jazz
      • Green Mountain
      • Liberty
      • Shadows
    • Gallery: Representational Paintings 2008-2010 >
      • Furious Flowers
      • Freedom's Call
      • The Gathering
      • Marooned
      • Unspoken
    • Gallery: Representational Paintings 2006-2007 >
      • A Cry for Peace
      • Contemplation
      • Chains
      • Crossroads
      • Spirit Dancer
      • Hope
      • Tanzanian Waterfall
      • Quiet Storm
    • Furniture >
      • Redwood Clocks >
        • "Aladdin Lamp" Redwood Burl Clock
        • "Buffalo" Redwood Burl Clock
        • "Firebird" Redwood Burl Clock
        • "Fire" Pendulum Clock
        • "Pterodactyl" Pendulum Clock
      • Redwood Tables
  • Poetry Gallery
    • eight years
    • a note to hip hop
    • gaza math
    • word
    • Hate the Game
    • Outside the Box
    • Art of War
    • Changing Times
    • Missing Pictures
    • Extinction
    • i know Haiti
    • who am i
    • words for sale
    • A Conversation in Poem
  • Residencies
    • Otis College of Art and Design L. A. Summer Residency 2018 (video) >
      • identity theft: erasure
      • black +
      • seabird nest
      • orange is new black
      • taglines
      • @ Work L. A. Summer Residency 2018
    • Caversham >
      • About Residency
      • Residency Video (2009)
      • A Conversation in Poem
  • Books
  • Fine Art Reproductions
    • History Re-Mixed
    • Hate the Game
  • Original Art Purchase
  • News / Events
    • Current/Future/Past Events
  • Photo Gallery
  • MY LIBRARY: Art Reviews, Books, Catalogues, Pamphlets, Ephemera
    • Elevate: Art Above Underground
    • The Dream Continues...
    • A Long Time Comin'...
    • 9.5 Theses on Art & Class
  • Contact
  • Browser Instructions